A wide variety of absorbent catamenial tampons have long been known in the art. While it has been found that these tampons perform their intended function tolerably well, even the best of them do not always re-expand sufficiently, or fast enough, to provide good coverage against leakage. Another common problem with tampons is “bypass” failure that occurs when the menses travels along the length of the vagina without contacting the tampon, i.e., the tampon fails to intercept the flowing menses. During a tampon change, some residual menses may be left near the introitus of the vagina. This may be fluid which was previously absorbed, but which subsequently “squeezed out” of the tampon as it was withdrawn through the sphincter of the vagina. Such residual fluid, particularly if located near the introitus (i.e., in the lower vaginal cavity) may not be effectively absorbed by the replacement tampon. It has been desirable to find a mechanism to absorb bypassed fluid from the lower vaginal cavity. As well, there is a need for materials or treatments for use on the exterior surface of tampons that have a strong affinity for fluid.
The superior design of the present invention will achieve all these goals, as will be seen from the following discussions.